Donny, his parents & I took a road trip to Omaha, NE to see Donny’s brother and his family! We had a great time and got back to town Sunday, just in time for the second half of the Broncos game. We listened to the first half on the radio and watched the other half on TV at my parent’s house.
I knew that we would be back late Sunday, so I didn’t want to have to go to the grocery store and make food once we got back. Instead, I went to the grocery store on Friday morning before I went to work and then cooked very little Sunday night. Turns out, the grocery store is EMPTY at 7:20am on a Friday! Plus, I only needed produce because I had most of the meat already. Another thing that helped was that I planned a couple meals that required zero cooking to make things easy!
What time saving tips do you have for grocery shopping meal preparation?
Grocery shopping and meal prep might seem like a burden over the weekend, but I promise it saves time throughout the week! I enjoy being able to grab meals from the fridge that I know are healthy without having to put anything together. It is a huge relief when I get home late at night and don’t have to worry about what I will eat the next day. Plus, it is cheaper than going out to eat everyday!
Now, here are the things that I bought this week at the grocery store and then the simple way that I prepared food this week.
Grocery Shopping:
- baby carrots, Brussels sprouts, yellow squash, kale, sugar snap peas, broccoli slaw, broccoli, red onion and red potatoes
- bananas, avocado, lemons and limes
- 2% Greek yogurt and unsweetened almond milk
- eggs
Meal Prep:
***These hamburgers were frozen after cooking last week, hence the weird color***
First of all, I purchased kale that was pre-chopped in order to save one step. I put the kale in a large bowl so I could top it with dressing. The dressing makes the kale less bitter, without having to cook it.
The dressing this week consisted of 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar, lemon juice (1/2 a lemon), lemon zest, a touch of stevia, plus salt and pepper. I poured the dressing over the kale and mixed it up with tongs so that all the leaves were coated with the dressing.
While I was making that dressing, I made another dressing in different bowl. I whisked 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp champagne vinegar, the juice from half a lime, lime zest, a touch of stevia, plus salt and pepper in a small bowl.
This dressing was for Brussels sprouts, so I sliced each Brussels sprout really thin to make shreds. I poured the dressing over the shredded Brussels sprouts and let that sit.
Going over my schedule for the week, I realized I only need 9 meals, instead of my usual ten. I divided the kale salad among five meal containers and put Brussels sprouts in the remaining four containers. I topped the kale with broccoli slaw, chopped sugar snap peas and pine nuts. Then I threw raisins and pepitas on the Brussels sprouts.
Vegetables are done with ZERO cooking!
Donny cooked halibut while we were in Nebraska that he coated with mustard and parmesan cheese. It was so good! I decided to try that with cod, so I drizzle yellow mustard on the cod and spread that evenly on the filet with the back of a spoon.
Next, I grated some fresh parmesan and sprinkled that on top. Last but not least, I sprinkled each piece of fish with salt and pepper. I put that in the oven on broil, but put the baking sheet on the bottom rack. It cooked for about 15 minutes.
***This picture was taken after cooking***
After that, I made a frittata to take this week. I sautéed kale, yellow squash and cherry tomatoes in a large cast-iron skillet. In a large bowl, I whisked 8 egg whites & 10 whole eggs together. Once the vegetables were cooked I added the egg mixture and cooked it until the bottom was set. I put the entire cast iron skillet in the oven at 350° and baked it for 25 minutes.
I knew that we would be home late, so cooking protein wasn’t going to be an option. Instead, I planned to take cooked chicken out of the freezer for a few of the meals.
I also had homemade hamburger patties in the freezer from last week and then the cod.
***Hamburgers made during meal prep last week***
My meals this week aren’t too exciting, but they were easy and quick to make! Sometimes you just have to deal with that. I’m sure I’ll be just fine! For more meal inspiration check out past Grocery Shopping & Meal Prep posts.
What foods did you prep this week
